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Chiefs waste no time creating QB depth

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Kansas City Chiefs aren’t exactly stockpiling Joe Montana and Steve Young at the quarterback position these days.

But the Chiefs and new coach Andy Reid are wasting no time creating a new depth chart at the position.

On the same day the team’s trade for San Francisco’s Alex Smith finally became official, the Chiefs also reportedly added free-agent quarterback Chase Daniel, who played collegiately at Missouri.

ESPN was first to report Daniel had agreed to a deal with the Chiefs, and CBSSports.com also reported that Daniel’s deal is believed to be for three years and worth approximately $3 million a year.

A Chiefs spokesman said on Tuesday the team would not confirm that Daniels had reached a deal with the club.

The Chiefs still have Matt Cassel on the roster, too, though it is widely believed Cassel will be released in the coming days. Cassel was due to make $7.5 million this season.

Cassel split duties last season with Brady Quinn, an unrestricted free-agent.

The Chiefs also have Ricky Stanzi, a third-year quarterback out of Iowa, and Alex Tanney, who last year was a rookie out of Monmouth College, on the roster.

The Chiefs also hold the top pick in this April’s draft, and while most draft experts expect them to take an offensive tackle (Luke Joeckel from Texas A&M or Eric Fisher from Central Michigan), some mock drafts still have the Chiefs taking West Virginia’s Geno Smith with the top pick.

The Chiefs also were believed to be impressed with Syracuse’s Ryan Nassib and Miami of Ohio’s Zac Dysert, both of whom they likely could get in later rounds.

Daniel is no stranger to Arrowhead Stadium. He led the Tigers to a dramatic 36-28 victory over Kansas in 2007 there, completing 40 of 49 passes for 363 yards and three touchdowns. That game drew 80,537 fans, second most in Arrowhead history.

Daniel and Missouri also lost to Kansas, 40-37, the following year at Arrowhead.

After Daniel’s stellar career at Missouri, he was not selected in the 2009 draft. He signed as a free-agent with the Washington Redskins but was released at the end of the preseason.

Daniel then signed with the Saints and after spending a year on the practice squad, served as Drew Brees’ backup the past three years.

Daniel has thrown just nine NFL passes, and completed seven for 55 yards.

Daniel reportedly had drawn interest from several NFL teams, including the New York Jets. The free-agency class for quarterbacks is a thin one this off-season, led by Jason Campbell, Drew Stanton, and Brian Hoyer. Eventually, Cassel and Carson Palmer likely will join the list.